I stopped by Natural Grocers on opening day and spent about $80 on vitamins, pre-packaged frozen foods (work lunch) and breakfast items. My first impression is that it reminded me of a co-op that I used to frequent while living in Florida. I appreciate the philosophical origin of what food should be instead of the chemical concoctions in most mainstream grocery stores. I thought that the fruit and vegetable section was kind of small but excused this away by telling myself that this is a new store and once they see what the volume is, they will build up this section. I had the same thought about the paltry meat section.
My favorite part of the store was the grains section. There is ample selection of pre-bagged grains and hard to find to food items. I picked up a pound of Maple Almond Granola for 3 bucks. I also found a new item that I would find useful in my last minute meal prep: Bottled organic salt-free strained tomatoes (great for making soups and sauces). There was also a large selection of flours for your health conscious pleasures. The refrigerated food section had a large selection of gluten-free items. I remember thinking, "I like gluten. If it wasn't gluten free, I'd probably try it."
There was also a large presence of lotions and soaps next to the large vitamin area. They even had multi-vitamins tailored to teen boys and teen girls; which I also bought for my teenager. I opened the bottle and they were vegan and smelled horrible. These particular vitamins included everything but the kitchen sink but I don't honestly believe that I will be able to get my kid to swallow even one of those horse pills.
While I was perusing the aisles, I heard a young girl complaining to her mom about, "where are the lucky charms?" Once, the newness wears off, it will be the diehard health-conscious who will keep this store afloat in our deficient part of the county. My tip is that Natural Grocers like for you to bring your own bag. Last, this is a good store for those with deep pockets or small families.